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Blueprint Baby Announcement

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What better way for makers to announce the newest addition to their family than a blueprint themed baby announcement?!

Blueprints haven't actually been blue since the early 1940s, but when people think of technical drawings, they invariably picture white lines on a blue background.

When our son arrived 5 weeks early, my partner and I didn't have much time to set up a photo shoot or design a fancy baby announcement. This simple card was easy to do when we brought our baby home from the hospital and our friends and family loved it.

Step 1: Take the Pictures

Find a place in your home with good natural lighting or set up some bright lights. You'll want to avoid using your camera's flash since it will create harsh shadows and your newborn will not be impressed.

Lay out a blue bed sheet or piece of cloth. Iron it if necessary. If you are working on a table or other hard surface, you can put blankets or towels under the fabric to make it more comfortable for your child.

Dress your baby in a simple white onesie or diaper. Wait until your baby is in a good mood or sleeping, and place him or her on the fabric.

Position yourself directly above and take lots of photos. Getting that perfect pose or expression on a newborn's face takes patience and luck.

Don't worry too much if the pose isn't exactly what you were hoping for. Everyone will still think your baby is adorable.

Step 2: Photo Editing

Sort through all the pictures you took and choose your favourite.

Open it up in your preferred photo editing software. I used Photoshop, but there are lots of great free photo editing programs you could use instead (like GIMP).

Crop the photo to fit in a greeting card envelope.

If the background fabric ended up wrinkled or bunched up, blur or blend the edges into a solid blue background colour.

Draw a white border just inside the outside edge of the image. Add lines to make information boxes at the bottom of the image (on a real blueprint this area would be used to list information on the architects and building specifications).

Now the fun part! Add architectural notes to point out facts about your baby. I included my son's birth weight, height and head circumference. I also noted that he comes with 10 fingers and 10 toes. Use a font that mimics the neat handwritten notes architects used to use (the font I used is called City Blueprint).

Draw lines and arrows to go with your notes.

To give the image more of an old blueprint look, you can apply a filter or add a texture layer over the white text and border to make them look slightly worn and faded.

Print your finished baby announcements. You can glue them to blank cards or send them as postcards.